2

67

1

31

1

1

3

45

46

1

I found this bird perched on top of a tree while checking out some unfamiliar calls. I identified it as a Rusty Blackbird by the small blackbird size and shape; black plumage; extensive pale edging on the feathers of the head, back, breast and wings; pale eyeline; and bright yellow eyes. It was in the dense riparian woods on the South Loop where the two tour routes join back together, just south of Audio Stop #8. After perching atop the tree for about a minute, it flew down to the ground in a dense willlow thicket with a second blackbird following it. I couldn't see or hear them for several minutes, but eventually three blackbirds flew out of the thicket together and flew off to the southwest.

Age & Sex

Juvenile

Immature

Adult

Age Unknown

Male

1

Female

Sex Unknown

2

blackbird sp.

These were with the Rusty Blackbird and were perhaps also Rusty Blackbirds. I only saw them for a few seconds as they flew from one place to another.